As voters in Edo State go to poll this Saturday to elect the next governor of the State for another four years term, politicians and their political parties have been urged to play the game according to the rules and regulations stipulated by the election umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The coordinator of a socio-political group, The lntegrity Elite, (TIE), Mr Lanre Ogidan who gave the advice in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Thursday, stressed that election in any party of the world shouldn’t be a ‘do or die’ affair since it is meant for the development and better living conditions for generality of the people.
Ogidan also warned politicians, political parties and their followers to comport themselves in peaceful and matured manners during and after the poll, saying that only a free, fair and credible electoral processes could bring about trust and credibility to the results been declared by the electoral body at the end of the exercise, and thereby elected the best and most popular man for the job.
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The Edo State Governorship Election is scheduled to hold this Saturday 19 of September, 2020 where the incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is being strongly challenged by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osaige Ize-Iyamu.
However, TIE believed that all parties in the election, including the electoral body, INEC must embrace and maintain peace before, during and after the election for meaningful development and true democracy to take place, urging INEC to remain an unbiased umpire all through the duration of the poll.
His words: “Let me use this medium to commend and give kudos to all the governorship candidates and members of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) for the relative peace displayed during their respective parties’ campaign rallies across the State, and I am also pleading to all political players, including politicians and electorate to take a step further towards pursuing genuine peaceful election.”
Ogidan therefore urged the unscrupulous elements in the state who are flaming the emblem of war and chaos towards the election to desist from such evil act, praying that God will never allow Edo State to witness any kind of crisis, distrust and mayhem during and after the poll.
He then urged the voters and every stakeholders to observe and compile with all the Covid-19 directives and safety instructions by using their facemasks, sanitize their hands and maintaining social distancing during the poll.
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